forcibly
Americanadverb
-
using power or strength, especially violent physical power.
A man leapt onto the platform, shouting and waving an umbrella, and security guards had to forcibly remove him.
The organization continues to provide safe asylum and protection to forcibly displaced people around the world.
-
strongly or convincingly.
With this particularly active hurricane season, coastal communities are being forcibly reminded of their vulnerability.
The writer argues, very forcibly, that a cyber war will not take place.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of forcibly
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Justice Neil Gorsuch’s opinion for the court tossed out a lawsuit brought by a Rastafarian inmate, Damon Landor, against the prison guards who forcibly shaved his head despite his religious objections.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
Besigye has been jailed on treason charges since being abducted in Kenya and forcibly returned to Uganda in late 2024.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
Kim’s nuclear program thus far has proven to be a deterrent against military attacks or attempts to forcibly unseat him from power, enabling him to shift his focus to the economy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
The chief of mission said more than 270,000 Haitians abroad were forcibly returned to the country in 2025, and this year so far another 110,000 have arrived.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
Jack knew that the year before, when Germany had forcibly expelled many Jewish citizens, dumping them in a no-man’s-land between Germany and Poland, Papa had helped them, putting himself at great risk.
From "Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps" by Andrea Warren
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
